Host effect on arbovirus replication: appearance of defective interfering particles in murine cells

Serial passage of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) in chicken embryo cells had little effect on SFV yield; however, high multiplicity infection of murine cells with one of the late passage pools (passage 9 SFV) resulted in a virus yield 10- to 20-fold lower than that obtained with earlier passage virus and 80-fold lower than the corresponding yield in chicken cells. This effect was accompanied by a striking decrease in the levels of 42S and 26S RNA and by increased proportions of a small single-stranded viral RNA (molecular weight, 9 x 10(5)) and of a low-molecular-weight replicative form. There was also a reduction in the number of specific membranous structures previously associated with the group A arbovirus replication complex. These results suggested that passage 9 SFV contained defective interfering particles which were detected more readily after one passage in a murine indicator host cell. Identical results were obtained with two different murine cell lines: one a leukemia virus-free clone of AKR cells and the other JLS-V9 cells chronically infected with Rauscher leukemia virus. Host production of RNA tumor virus particles apparently did not affect arbovirus replication.